Book Clubs - Women and the Uses of Reading in Everyday Life

Book clubs are everywhere these days. And women talk about the clubs they belong to with surprising emotion. But why are the clubs so important to them? And what do the women discuss when they meet? To answer questions like these, Elizabeth Long spent years observing and participating in women's book clubs and interviewing members from different discussion groups. Far from being an isolated activity, she finds reading for club members to be an active and social pursuit, a crucial way for women to reflect creatively on the meaning of their lives and their place in the social order.

About the author

Elizabeth Long is an associate professor of sociology at Rice University. She is the author of "The American Dream and the Popular Novel" and the editor of "From Sociology to Cultural Studies."

Summary

Why do women join book clubs? What do the women discuss when they meet? to answer questions like these, Long spent years observing and participating in women's book clubs in the Houston area. She discovered that members find reading a crucial way for them to reflect on their lives.

Product details

• Authors: Long, Elizabeth Long, Elizabeth (Rice University) Long
• Publisher: University Presses
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 01.08.2003
• EAN: 9780226492629
• ISBN: 978-0-226-49262-9
• No. of pages: 280
• Dimensions: 15 mm x 23 mm x 2 mm
• Weight: 425 g
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative linguistics; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Social structure research; SOCIAL SCIENCE / Minority Studies, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Women's Studies, Gender studies: women, Gender studies: women and girls, Social groups: clubs & societies, Social groups: clubs and societies, Literacy (Theories of reading and writing)